"in Zomba Mental Hospital was published in the International Journal of the Addictions in 1998. It had it implications for the development of treatment and prevention programs for chamba users in Malawi. Malawian Rastafari have been using marijuana as part of their spiritual awakening for years. The Rastafari cite religious importance in the use of the plant. Malawians have been using cannabis for recreational use for generations. The use of cannabis is particularly popular along the lake side. Many Malawians claim that cannabis helps them to relax and concentrate. Local students use cannabis to prevent pre-exam jitters. Police raids are"
"of self and greater closeness to Jah—who members believe partially resides within each individual. They ritually use cannabis, which they call ""God's Holy Healing Sacrament"" to deepen love and livity. The church house on The Alameda has an altar, pews and sacred images ""like any other Christian house of worship"". The City of San Jose filed a complaint against the owners and operators of Amsterdam's Garden marijuana dispensary in May 2015 for zoning violations and for not conforming to city regulations on marijuana dispensaries. Amsterdam's Garden was reportedly owned and operated by Sacha Nemcov, who was part of a failed"
"and cannabis during the Last Supper and the Passion. Sacrament of Transition Sacrament of Transition is a new religious movement based in Slovenia, based on and promoting the sacramental use of the psychoactive plant ""Tabernanthe iboga"" and its psychoactive chemical constituent ibogaine. The founder of Sacrament of Transition is Marko Resinovic. The organization routinely sponsors psychedelic-related conferences and meetings. Sacrament of Transition has representatives from activist organizations such as the Students for Sensible Drug Policy and Million Marijuana March. Other affiliates include Patrick K. Kroupa, whom the group has made a high priest, and Dana Beal, founder of Cures Not"
"Protestant congregations, mostly in southern Africa, arose from the Ethiopian movement of the late nineteenth century, which taught that African Christian churches should be under the control of black people. They should not be confused with the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church or Coptic Orthodox Church, which have a much longer and an utterly distinct doctrinal history. Some denominations that arose from the Ethiopian movement have united with these earlier denominations. Zionist Churches such as the Zion Christian Church, trace their origins to the Christian Catholic Apostolic Church in Zion, founded by John Alexander Dowie, with its headquarters at Zion, Illinois,"
"Sacrament of Transition Sacrament of Transition is a new religious movement based in Slovenia, based on and promoting the sacramental use of the psychoactive plant ""Tabernanthe iboga"" and its psychoactive chemical constituent ibogaine. The founder of Sacrament of Transition is Marko Resinovic. The organization routinely sponsors psychedelic-related conferences and meetings. Sacrament of Transition has representatives from activist organizations such as the Students for Sensible Drug Policy and Million Marijuana March. Other affiliates include Patrick K. Kroupa, whom the group has made a high priest, and Dana Beal, founder of Cures Not Wars, the North American Apostolic Delegate. Discussing addiction and"
"serving marijuana prisoner in American history. In the early-1970s, a fundamentalist Christian sect known as the Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church formed in Jamaica. The Coptics' beliefs were typical of any fundamentalist Christian organization... with the exception of one. The Church believed that marijuana (or ""ganja,"" as they called it) was their sacrament... and all members, including children, smoked it around the clock. The Church started a massive marijuana export operation and expanded throughout the 1970s, eventually becoming the largest employers and landowners in the struggling Caribbean nation. In 1975, the Church bought a mansion on Miami's exclusive Star Island. Initially,"
"Act. Nonprofit religious organization Elevation Ministries opened its Denver headquarters, known as the International Church of Cannabis, on April 20, 2017. Modern spiritual figures like Ram Dass openly acknowledge that the use of cannabis has allowed them to gain a more spiritual perspective and use the herb frequently for both its medicinal and mind-altering properties. In Mexico, followers of the growing cult of Santa Muerte regularly use marijuana smoke in purification ceremonies, with marijuana often taking the place of incense used in mainstream Catholic rituals. Cannabis and religion Different religions have varying stances on the use of cannabis, historically and"
"Africa as a whole. The largest Protestant denomination in the country is Pentecostalism, followed by Methodism, Dutch Reformed and Anglicanism. The Zion Christian Church (or ZCC) is the largest African initiated church in Southern Africa. The church's headquarters are at Zion City Moria in Limpopo Province, South Africa (Northern Transvaal). According to the 1996 South African Census, the church numbered 3.87 million members. By the 2001 South African Census, its membership had increased to 4.97 million members. (More recent official statistics are unavailable, since the last South African Census – 2011 – did not ask any questions about religious affiliation.)"
"established at Wakkerstroom and Charlestown on the Transvaal-Natal border. Zionism blends traditional African beliefs with faith-healing and water baptism. Some members wear white robes and carry staffs. African Zionism African Zionism, (also ""amaZioni"" from Zulu ""people of Zion"") is a religious movement with 15–18 million members throughout Southern Africa, making it the largest religious movement in the region. Zionism is the predominant religion of Swaziland and forty percent of Swazis consider themselves Zionist. It is also common among Zulus in South Africa. The amaZioni are found in South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia. It is a combination"
"by church co-founder Steve Berke, which does marketing work for the cannabis industry. International Church of Cannabis The International Church of Cannabis is a religious organization in Denver that uses cannabis as a sacrament and adheres to no specific dogma. Its members, known as Elevationists, claim that the use of cannabis helps elevate people to a higher understanding of self. The chapel headquarters, a converted old church painted by contemporary artists, opened its doors on April 20, 2017. An amendment banning cannabis consumption in churches was submitted to the Colorado House of Representatives on the same day and rejected as"
"International Church of Cannabis The International Church of Cannabis is a religious organization in Denver that uses cannabis as a sacrament and adheres to no specific dogma. Its members, known as Elevationists, claim that the use of cannabis helps elevate people to a higher understanding of self. The chapel headquarters, a converted old church painted by contemporary artists, opened its doors on April 20, 2017. An amendment banning cannabis consumption in churches was submitted to the Colorado House of Representatives on the same day and rejected as an unconstitutional restriction on religion. Since smoking cannabis in public is banned in"
"as ""groundations"", and are typified by music, chanting, discussions, and the smoking of cannabis, the latter being regarded as a sacrament with beneficial properties. Rastas place emphasis on what they regard as living ""naturally"", adhering to ital dietary requirements, twisting their hair into dreadlocks, and following patriarchal gender roles. Rastafari originated among impoverished and socially disenfranchised Afro-Jamaican communities in 1930s Jamaica. Its Afrocentric ideology was largely a reaction against Jamaica's then-dominant British colonial culture. It was influenced by both Ethiopianism and the Back-to-Africa movement promoted by black nationalist figures like Marcus Garvey. The movement developed after several Christian clergymen, most"
"African Zionism African Zionism, (also ""amaZioni"" from Zulu ""people of Zion"") is a religious movement with 15–18 million members throughout Southern Africa, making it the largest religious movement in the region. Zionism is the predominant religion of Swaziland and forty percent of Swazis consider themselves Zionist. It is also common among Zulus in South Africa. The amaZioni are found in South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia. It is a combination of Christianity and African traditional religion. The Zionist churches of southern Africa were founded by Petrus Louis Le Roux, an Afrikaner faith healer. He was a former"
"Green Faith Ministries, the Church of Cognizance, the Church of the Universe, the Free Marijuana Church of Honolulu, the First Cannabis Church of Florida World Wide, the Free Life Ministry Church of Canthe, the Church of Higher Consciousness, and the federally tax-exempt inFormer Ministry Collective of Palms Springs, CA. The Temple of the True Inner Light believes that cannabis is one of the parts of God's body, along with the classical psychedelics: mescaline, psilocybin, LSD, and DMT. The First Church of Cannabis Inc. officially gained legal recognition in Indiana in 2015 following the passage of that state's Religious Freedom Restoration"
"Templar, Chaldeans, Gnostic Gospels and the Desiderata. Their sacrament is cannabis, and followers are encouraged to smoke it and use hemp products. They draw on accounts in Genesis and associate the Tree of Life with the hemp plant, additionally quoting Psalm 22:30 and Revelation 22:2,14. Nudity also finds its origins in Genesis, since Adam and Eve were unclothed until they ate from the Tree of Knowledge rather than the Tree of Life. However, members are enjoined to cover their heads on any official occasion or when interacting with government agents. Each person is encouraged to do so as God directs."
"divinity within every individual. Rastafari is Afrocentric and focuses its attention on the African diaspora, which it believes is oppressed within Western society, or ""Babylon"". Many Rastas call for the resettlement of the African diaspora in either Ethiopia or Africa more widely, referring to this continent as the Promised Land of ""Zion"". Other interpretations shift focus on to the adoption of an Afrocentric attitude while living outside of Africa. Rastas refer to their practices as ""livity"". Communal meetings are known as ""groundations"", and are typified by music, chanting, discussions, and the smoking of cannabis, the latter being regarded as a"
"the city of Indianapolis, claiming that the present marijuana laws infringed on their religious beliefs. The Deity Dozen are a set of guidelines put forth by the Church. First Church of Cannabis The First Church of Cannabis is a cannabis-based registered church in the U.S. state of Indiana founded in March 2015 by Bill Levin. The First Church of Cannabis was founded in March 2015 by Bill Levin, who attended Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation, a Reform Judaism synagogue, as a child, and titles himself Grand Poobah of the church. He said it was a direct response to the state's Religious Freedom"
"Cults of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRCNY) issued a statement which has been endorsed by the four major Jewish denominations: Orthodox Judaism, Conservative Judaism, Reform Judaism, and Reconstructionist Judaism, as well as national Jewish organizations. Based on this statement, the Spiritual Deception Prevention Project at the JCRCNY stated: On several occasions leaders of the four major Jewish movements have signed on to joint statements opposing Hebrew-Christian theology and tactics. In part they said: ""Though Hebrew Christianity claims to be a form of Judaism, it is not ... It deceptively uses the sacred symbols of Jewish observance"
"United States in 1975 with no ties to either Ethiopia or the Coptic Church, consider ""Cannabis"" to be the Eucharist, claiming it as an oral tradition from Ethiopia dating back to the time of Christ. Like the Rastafari, some modern Gnostic Christian sects have asserted that ""Cannabis"" is the Tree of Life. Other organized religions founded in the 20th century that treat ""Cannabis"" as a sacrament are the THC Ministry, Cantheism, the Cannabis Assembly and the Church of Cognizance. Rastafarians tend to be among the biggest consumers of modern Cannabis use. Cannabis is frequently used among Sufis – the mystical"
"First Church of Cannabis The First Church of Cannabis is a cannabis-based registered church in the U.S. state of Indiana founded in March 2015 by Bill Levin. The First Church of Cannabis was founded in March 2015 by Bill Levin, who attended Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation, a Reform Judaism synagogue, as a child, and titles himself Grand Poobah of the church. He said it was a direct response to the state's Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). Monthly dues are $4.20. Levin said that the church was granted IRS tax-exempt status less than 30 days after he applied. Bill Levin - the"
"Cannabis and religion Different religions have varying stances on the use of cannabis, historically and presently. In ancient history some religions used cannabis as an entheogenic, particularly in the Indian subcontinent where the tradition continues on a more limited basis. In the modern era, religions with prohibitions against intoxicants, such as Islam, Buddhism, Bahai, Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and others have opposed the use of cannabis by members, or in some cases opposed the liberalization of cannabis laws. Other groups, such as some Protestant and Jewish factions, have supported the use of medicinal cannabis. In the Bahá'í Faith, use of alcohol"
"National Census, 85.6% of the population practices Christianity, while Muslims represent a minority of 12.2%. A multitude of diverse Protestant confessions such as Lutheran, Baptist, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, United Methodist, African Methodist Episcopal (AME) and African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AME Zion) denominations form the bulk of the Christian population, followed by adherents of the Roman Catholic Church and other non-Protestant Christians. Most of these Christian denominations were brought by African American settlers moving from the United States into Liberia via the American Colonization Society, while some are indigenous—especially Pentecostal and evangelical Protestant ones. Protestantism was originally associated with Black American"
"keep the country going right now"". The Coptics published a free newspaper promoting Garveyism and the decriminalization of marijuana. They were also featured on a sensational episode of ""60 Minutes"" on October 28, 1979. The group's leader was Thomas Reilly, also known as Brother Louv. During the same year, The Supreme Court of Florida found: ""(1) the Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church represents a religion within the first amendment to the Constitution of the United States, and (2) the “use of cannabis is an essential portion of the religious practice."" ""Further, the Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church is not a new church"
"however, was filled with a variety of drug use, recreational and otherwise. The primary advocate of a religious use of cannabis plant in early Judaism was Sula Benet, also called Sara Benetowa, a Polish anthropologist, who claimed in 1967 that the plant ""kaneh bosm קְנֵה-בֹשֶׂם"" mentioned five times in the Hebrew Bible, and used in the holy anointing oil of the Book of Exodus, was in fact cannabis. The Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church confirmed it as a possible valid interpretation. The lexicons of Hebrew and dictionaries of plants of the Bible such as by Michael Zohary (1985), Hans Arne Jensen"
"African Methodist Episcopal Zion church (AMEZ), had active programs in support of the Social Gospel. Both evangelical (""pietistic"") and liturgical (""high church"") elements supported the Social Gospel, although only the pietists were active in promoting Prohibition. In the United States prior to the First World War, the Social Gospel was the religious wing of the progressive movement which had the aim of combating injustice, suffering and poverty in society. Denver, Colorado, was a centre of Social Gospel activism. Thomas Uzzel led the Methodist People's Tabernacle from 1885 to 1910. He established a free dispensary for medical emergencies, an employment bureau"
"11-12% in recent surveys. Traditional religions and non-religious individuals have seen greater declines. Christian denominations include the Lutheran, Baptist, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, United Methodist, African Methodist Episcopal (AME) and AME Zion denominations, and a variety of Pentecostal churches. Some of the Pentecostal movements are affiliated with churches outside the country, while others are independent. There are also members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and Seventh-day Adventists. Christians live throughout the country. In a religious context, the term kwi connotes a style of worship of a particular Christian church which is marked by formality and"
"Jewish religious movements Jewish religious movements, sometimes called ""denominations"" or ""branches"", include different groups which have developed among Jews from ancient times. Today, the main division is between the Orthodox, Conservative, Reconstructionist, and Reform movements, with several smaller movements alongside them. This denominational structure is mainly present in the United States, while in Israel, the fault lines are between the Orthodox and the non-religious. The movements differ in their views on various issues. These issues include the level of observance, the methodology for interpreting and understanding Jewish law, biblical authorship, textual criticism, and the nature or role of the messiah"
"African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, or the AME Zion Church or AMEZ, is a historically African-American denomination based in the United States. It was officially formed in 1821 in New York City, but operated for a number of years before then. The church can be traced back to the John Street Methodist Church of New York City. Following acts of overt discrimination (such as black parishioners being forced to leave worship), many black Christians left to form their own churches. The first church founded by the AME Zion Church was built in 1800 and"
"global, cross-denominational movement called Hebrew Roots or Messianic Judaism. A small number of Christian denominations — including the Assemblies of Yahweh, Messianic Jews, some congregations of the Church of God (Seventh Day), the World Mission Society Church of God, Hebrew Roots, as well as a variety of Church of God groups instruct their members to observe the religious holidays described in the Tanakh, but interpreted, they believe, in the light of the New Testament. Some Seventh-day Adventists have also adopted the Jewish holidays against the wishes of the denominational leaders. Most of these denominations also eschew the observance of Christmas"
"were registered. Major Christian religious groups include Anglican, Baptist, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Congregational, Christadelphians, Methodist, Nazarene, Presbyterian, Jehovah's Witnesses, Roman Catholic, Seventh-day Adventist, and Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, as well as evangelical, apostolic, and Pentecostal churches. Many small, independent Protestant and Catholic churches that have split from mainstream denominations fuse African traditional beliefs and practices within a Christian framework. The overwhelming majority of Muslims are Sunni belonging to Shafi school of jurisprudence influenced with Sufism, with a tiny Shi'a minority (a few families) principally of South Asian origin. The growing"
"largest Protestant denomination is the Church of the Nazarene. Other groups include the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), the Assemblies of God, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, and various other Pentecostal and evangelical groups. There are small Bahá'í communities and a small but growing Muslim community. The number of atheists is estimated at less than 1 percent of the population. There is no association between religious differences and ethnic or political affiliations; however, the Catholic hierarchy is sympathetic to the Movement for Democracy (MPD) party, which ruled the country from"
"as the Reform, Conservative, or Orthodox branches of Judaism; although there are significant numbers of people who are part of non-mainstream Jewish groups, largely the Black Hebrew Israelites, whose beliefs include the claim that African Americans are descended from the Biblical Israelites. Confirmed atheists are less than one half of one-percent, similar to numbers for Hispanics. African-American music is one of the most pervasive African-American cultural influences in the United States today and is among the most dominant in mainstream popular music. Hip hop, R&B, funk, rock and roll, soul, blues, and other contemporary American musical forms originated in black"
"in Florida. The National Evangelical Association of Belize opposed the 2017 decriminalization of cannabis in Belize. The Assemblies of God USA, as well as other Pentecostal and holiness churches, have historically advocated abstinence from all alcohol, tobacco, and narcotics. Supporters of this view generally cite biblical passages enjoining respect for one's body as well as forbidding intoxication. Other Protestant churches have endorsed the legality of medical marijuana, including the Presbyterian Church (USA), United Methodist Church, United Church of Christ, and the Episcopal Church. During the Hindu festival of Holi, people consume ""bhang"" which contains cannabis flowers. According to one description,"